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“So, you mean that Mangnyang was kidnapped by the Imperial Palace? Is he even alive?”

After hearing Dokgo Seong’s bewildered tone, I couldn’t help but sigh. “There’s no way to confirm that right now.”

Dokgo Seong clicked his tongue. “Well… if that’s the case, we should adapt accordingly. I’m getting ready to team up with the Sword Demon to take on the Old Sage of Mount Tai.”

“Thank you.”

“And Lee Kwang has something he wants to discuss with you, so you should listen up.”

I glanced over at Lee Kwang, who had been silently sitting by the table. With an icy stare, he said, “I’d like you to use your financial power to help General Hwang Yeon’s situation.”

Though he tried to feign politeness, his tone dripped with annoyance.

“General Hwang Yeon?”

“Don’t play dumb. You brought General Hwang Yeon all the way here, didn’t you? I’ve been using the influence of the Six Great Families to assist him so far, but we’re hitting a wall. I need you to provide support one way or another.”

“Hmm.”

His reasoning was sound. Although I had rescued Hwang Yeon and the prisoners from Great Thunder Valley, I really hadn’t thought of how to utilize them properly. Still, I was unsure how exactly to make use of Hwang Yeon in the current situation.

‘Supporting with gold bars would be easy, but…’

Something about simply providing cash felt inadequate. Mangnyang probably would have devised some other solution for this predicament. As I pondered, I reflected on who Hwang Yeon truly was: the pinnacle of the military trapped in Great Thunder Valley; an old mentor and ally that Lee Kwang couldn’t afford to discard.

Then, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.

“Lee Kwang. Can I speak with General Hwang Yeon?”

“What do you want to discuss?”

“I believe we could benefit from discussing our current situation. Please hurry and summon him.”

“Understood.”

Lee Kwang immediately fetched Hwang Yeon without a word. It seemed he had little expectation of Hwang Yeon’s potential. Once Hwang Yeon was in front of me, I noticed he had regained considerable vitality and looked like a seasoned warrior.

This place was set up for just the two of us to talk. The Thunder God experts were out of the question, as I insisted on that. Hwang Yeon, facing me, chuckled lightly.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing well. I hope the general has too.”

“Indeed, I have.”

Once the formalities were over, I broached the main subject.

“General Hwang, are you aware that something significant is happening at the Imperial Palace?”

“Significant? What do you mean?”

“Everything I say is the truth, so don’t be shocked, just listen.”

And thus, I unveiled the identity of the Old Sage of Mount Tai as the Dharma Guardian, and narrated the bizarre ritual involving the Emperor, the Guardian, and Zhuge Bu. I also shared that Mangnyang had lost his rights in that ritual and explained what that ritual even was.

“What… Is that even possible?!”

Hwang Yeon’s eyes blinked repeatedly as if he couldn’t fathom my words. This story was too magical and fantastical for a seasoned warrior to accept at face value. But as I insisted it was the truth multiple times, he seemed to comprehend it after a moment. Pondering deeply, he finally spoke up.

“So are you saying the current Emperor has received immortality with the help of the demon god from the Otherworld?”

“That’s right,” I nodded, continuing, “And from our speculation, he will attempt to open a ‘gate’ using the National Seal located in the underground of the Palace. He’ll surely send the Great Ming Empire’s army across the whole world to initiate an expansion war.”

“Expansion war?”

“We’re planning to fight back to rescue our kidnapped comrades, but what are your thoughts, General Hwang? What do you believe is loyalty in this situation?”

At my question, Hwang Yeon looked troubled.

“This is quite sudden, so I need to sort my thoughts…”

“I hope you will consider raising an army.”

“……”

“As I mentioned, the current Emperor can wield such power that he can force anyone to submit to his commands with the help of the Divine Guardian Chi You. In this state, there can be no politics or anything else. He’s going to wield absolute power and bring everything to ruin.”

“Hmm!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hwang Yeon muttered in contemplation.

Although it seemed the Emperor of the Great Ming Empire held absolute power, that was not the case. He needed to control the central and powerful ministers, generals, princes from various regions, and lords to maintain a proper balance. And since the Emperor’s power had natural limits, it allowed for a minimum degree of transparency and self-correcting governance in politics.

However, given that the Emperor could make anyone a puppet with his command, absolute power would only lead to corruption. All the advisors who could provide wise counsel or competent officials in the court were now effectively disabled. In other words, despite being able to run rampant, no one could rein him in.

With his arms crossed, Hwang Yeon finally said, “Are you suggesting that checking the Emperor is an act of loyalty?”

“You’re well aware that the current Emperor is an insanity personified. If he’s a tyrant who doesn’t deserve to govern the Great Ming Empire, then isn’t fighting to protect the peace of the Empire the true duty of a soldier?”

“Hmm…”

I stared directly into his eyes. “Remember the tyrannical King Zhou of the Silver Age. Duke Xichang realized the calamity brought by the demon king Daji and the tyranny of King Zhou and rose up to help a nation suffering in ruin. I believe only you, General, can do the same right now.”

After some deep thought, Hwang Yeon finally spoke again.

“Your words sound nice, but how can I be sure?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Emperor might simply want to make the Great Ming Empire powerful and prosperous by achieving immortality through that ritual. He might be making sacrifices for the greater good of the empire. How can a subordinate hastily draw conclusions on the Emperor’s choices?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!!” I erupted angrily, clenching my fist. “Even if the Great Ming Empire becomes grand and powerful, who benefits from that power? Only the Emperor and a few close aides between whom absolute power is divided, while those beneath them are ruthlessly exploited until they perish. Innocent common people are victims of the Human Sacrifice tied to the Otherworldly Ritual. They wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice humans to monsters if it means retaining their power!”

“……”

“Even if Mangnyang were here, he would have said the same. Only you can fight for the great justice of the world.”

Suddenly, Hwang Yeon burst into laughter.

“Hahaha!!”

“Huh…?”

I was taken aback by Hwang Yeon’s unexpected laughter. It felt wrong for him to laugh at such a serious matter. After a moment of laughter, he smiled and said, “You really are a remarkable person. Sorry for putting you through a test.”

I caught on to Hwang Yeon’s underlying message.

“So you were already resolved to oppose the Emperor?”

“Indeed. I had been contemplating this even before you arrived, and I completely agree with your thoughts.” He gazed out the window at the clear blue sky and continued, “I’ve had doubts about the Emperor since General Jin Cheon-hwi was unjustly murdered. He was reputed to be an intelligent and capable ruler, but lacking legitimacy, he was the kind of person who would do anything for his own power. I was okay with that attitude up to a point, but ever since he imprisoned me in Great Thunder Valley, my perspective has changed significantly.”

Hwang Yeon let out a deep sigh. “The Emperor isn’t the Great Ming Empire. He may represent the Great Ming Empire, but he cannot become the state itself. To reign is one thing, but to rule is entirely different. That’s how a time of peace is achieved. I genuinely believe this has never been wrong in the long history of China.”

“To reign without ruling?”

“Yes. China needs a powerful ruler but must be governed with unified thinking and loyalty. This is necessary to govern a great nation on a vast continent. Yet, the more firmly the authority of the supreme monarch is established, the more rotten the world becomes.”

“……”

“Every Emperor who sought to dominate brought the world to ruin.

Hwang Yeon gazed at me with intense determination. “Even now, I don’t think General Jin Cheon-hwi should have become the Emperor. However, I believe the Emperor is only a person fulfilling the duty of guiding China, and the more he aspires to become an absolute being, the more distorted everything will become.”

“That seems unavoidable.”

“An Emperor who can unhesitatingly throw the populace to be meals for monsters is better off absent. And immortality is the worst! I’ll raise an army to oppose the Emperor.”

Hearing his firm declaration, I nodded.

“General Hwang, thank you for your decision.”

I now understood why Hwang Yeon initially appeared hesitant and vague about his intentions. We had only wrapped our plans in flowery language, but ultimately, it all meant we were pursuing rebellion. Given the stakes, recruiting allies for this rebellion was a grave and meticulous task.

I spoke to Hwang Yeon. “Moving immediately could render our forces meaningless due to the Emperor’s power. For now, I will support you with gold bars and forces; gather strength. Once we can neutralize the Emperor’s command, we can act.”

“I’ll count on you. Looks like I’m going to get very busy starting today.”

Originally, this was something Mangnyang should have done, but I had persuaded Hwang Yeon to take action instead. If we slay the Emperor and the Demon Subduing Hall still has power behind the scenes controlling the Palace, we would still be in trouble. Therefore, it was vital for Hwang Yeon to rise with new power to seize governance. Hwang Yeon’s role might seem minimal, but it was essential.

With this, we were in the same boat. I asked Hwang Yeon, “General, may I ask about the Dharma Guardian Chi You?”

“Hmm. I expected you to ask that.” Hwang Yeon muttered.

“The Dharma Guardian Chi You was a very mysterious figure. He rarely showed his face in court, and all I heard was that he existed. In fact, I learned for the first time through you that they were all one and the same: the Old Sage of Mount Tai, a peak expert of Jianghu, and a sorcerer.” But after hearing that, it seemed something was off.”

“Something off?”

After nodding, Hwang Yeon continued, “Several decades ago, when the former Emperor passed away, important officials, including me, went to that site. There, we found the cold and lifeless body of the late Emperor with the Crown Prince by his side. The Crown Prince, who first kept vigil by the late Emperor’s side, had received the last words of the Emperor. The current Crown Prince is…”

“……”

“And the Guardian was there beside the Crown Prince. The Guardian revealed himself as the Crown Prince’s guardian.”

What does this mean? My eyebrows furrowed at this unexpected testimony.

“The Guardian was present during the late Emperor’s last moments?”

“It was the first and last time I confirmed the identity of the Dharma Guardian Chi You.”

Very suspicious. When I fell silent, Hwang Yeon continued, “He was a decent-looking young man with an air of nobility; someone who looked as if he had studied literature his entire life. I later learned he was the Grand Astronomer of the Imperial Palace. He was the head of the astrologers who rarely stepped outside the Inner Imperial Pavilion, so that was the first time I laid eyes on him.”

“The Grand Astronomer… Are you saying the Guardian was the Lord of the Inner Imperial Pavilion?”

“That’s right.”

In that instant, I was dumbfounded.

‘No way?’ This testimony from Hwang Yeon carried massive implications.

The Guardian is the Old Sage of Mount Tai, not Zhuge Bu. Furthermore, Zhuge Bu is the current Lord of the Inner Imperial Pavilion. That means the previous Lord of the Inner Imperial Pavilion was indeed the Guardian. If that is the case, it implies that the position of the Lord of the Inner Imperial Pavilion shifted from the Guardian to Zhuge Bu.

Additionally, according to Mangnyang, the role of the Lord of the Inner Pavilion was that of an astrologer.

[I used to be an astrologer. Now, I’ve left the royal family to live as a sincere master.]

The memory of encountering Mangnyang for the first time flooded back, along with his self-introduction about Mangnyang Zhuge Hyun.

Astrologers have the role of predicting the fortunes and misfortunes of the year, praying for the prosperity of the royal family, and conducting Daoist rituals on a national level. They are treated with special respect within the royal duties and hold hereditary positions rather than being elected through merit.

[Could hereditary positions be abandoned?]

[I lack capability. My brother is much more exceptional; I was driven out of the capital to live as a wandering hero.]

Mangnyang’s brother is Zhuge Bu. Mangnyang was essentially outclassed and lost the position of Lord of the Inner Pavilion to Zhuge Bu. Also, the hereditary position means passing down through direct lineage. If the former Lord of the Inner Imperial Pavilion was indeed the Guardian, then his identity is…

“No way…”

It doesn’t make any sense. How could this be possible? Could it really be that he was the Guardian?!

Suddenly, it made sense why Mangnyang had been ambushed and kidnapped. No one could have anticipated that identity, even Mangnyang.

“Hmm… Thank you for sharing this. It’s been incredibly helpful.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I left the conversation with Hwang Yeon in a mix of confusion and a sense of clarity. With the gold bars I’d provide, I would support Hwang Yeon’s baselines while also gaining future assistance from the Fire Spirit Techniques to aid him. If Hwang Jin-seong could leverage his manor and the support of the Jianghu forces, he would quickly regain his military prestige and potential to raise an army.

I relayed our discussions to Lee Kwang and Dokgo Seong. They were both shocked by the idea of rebellion, but once Hwang Yeon expressed his commitment, they seemed to accept it, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

Finally, I found myself having a one-on-one conversation with Lee Kwang.

“Lee Kwang. Did you also suspect the true identity of the Guardian?”

“……”

Lee Kwang was standing there with his arms crossed in an empty area. Finally, he answered, “It seems you’ve figured it out.”

“You must have figured it out from the beginning when you first encountered the Guardian at Mount Tai. Or maybe even before that.”

“That’s right. Being one of the Dharma Guardians, it’s something I could guess.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

He replied bluntly, “What would have changed if I said it? Even then, there was no alteration in the impossibility of breaching the Eight Trigrams Formation at Mount Tai.”

“That’s just your opinion. It’s possible that Mangnyang suffered precisely because he didn’t know.”

“How unfortunate. My condolences.”

In that moment, I felt flames of anger bursting in my eyes.

Could he really refuse to take any responsibility? If he had just thought clearly about that information and shared it, Mangnyang might have acted more cautiously. Overall, the whole plan could have turned out differently. But now, Mangnyang had been caught off guard and things had spiraled out of control.

I clenched my teeth and pointed my sword at him. “You know, I can’t ever agree with you. That’s never going to change.”

“Strange. I feel the same way.”

I found myself grappling with whether to confront Lee Kwang here and now. Even if I tore him to shreds, it wouldn’t ease my frustration. Still, recalling what Jin So-cheong had said not long ago, I had to consider the fact that Lee Kwang was an essential asset right now, so I restrained my anger.

Letting my sword drop, I said, “I won’t ask you to apologize. Instead, tell me what you know about the Guardian’s techniques and weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses…? Does that even exist?”

“What?”

Lee Kwang replied earnestly, “He was a guardian spirit of the Imperial Palace for generations. During my prime, I once faced the Guardian in martial arts, and we were evenly matched, but even then, I felt he was holding back significantly. He’s definitely a figure of Dharma Guardian ranks, excelled in both martial arts and sorcery.”

“……”

“To face him now, you’d need at least three experts on my level.”

As I contemplated this, it seemed Lee Kwang offered a fairly objective evaluation, perhaps feeling partially guilty. After some reflection, I asked, “I heard his martial arts are the Asura Heaven Light Technique and the Gongsun Sword Technique. Is there no method to counter those skills?”

“I’m familiar with both arts. Asura Heaven Light Technique is an exceptionally superior divine technique, while Gongsun Sword Technique is indeed a world-class martial skill. I can at least provide you with advice on dealing with the Gongsun Sword Technique.”

“Advice?”

He nodded. “The Gongsun Sword Technique is based on the Five Elements theory. It contains the essence of the Mind Control Technique from its origins. So, when you engage in combat, you might get swept up in the opponent’s flow and find yourself on the defensive; to counter this, you must match their martial principle to disregard their flow.”

That seemed like pretty solid advice. Having trained in martial arts for a long time, I could roughly grasp what he meant.

‘If I discuss this with Jin So-cheong, I might come up with a countermeasure.’

But I didn’t feel grateful enough to voice it. After all, part of the chaos stemmed from Lee Kwang withholding crucial information. So instead, I warned him.

“If anything like this happens again, you will face consequences.”

“I’m scared for my life.”

Lee Kwang shrugged and walked away, being insufferably annoying to the very end.

 

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